Gros Misdemeanor

originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by VLM:
The one glass I think had some utility but doesn't seem to be made anymore (and all mine are broken) was the Riedel Syrah glass.
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I did find some utility as well, given that perhaps 25% of the reds we drank in the US consisted of one vintage or another of Eric's Brézèmes, but not too many other wines tasted great in it other than N. Rhône reds. The Riedel Vinum Syrah glass is still available in Europe (assuming that is the series you mean).
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I have one or two Sommelier Syrah and a couple Vinums. I like them for Barolo and N. Rhone.
 
As a human prone to be influenced by other humans, I have been looking to get a few new glasses and this thread couldn't stop raving about the Jancis Robinson stems, so I bought a couple.

Put one to use immediately this evening with champagne and it is a lovely glass indeed. Very pleasant experience all the way through.

My only concern is that the glass is so thin and delicate, I can't imagine it will be as long lived as some of my others!
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
As a human prone to be influenced by other humans, I have been looking to get a few new glasses and this thread couldn't stop raving about the Jancis Robinson stems, so I bought a couple.

Put one to use immediately this evening with champagne and it is a lovely glass indeed. Very pleasant experience all the way through.

My only concern is that the glass is so thin and delicate, I can't imagine it will be as long lived as some of my others!
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I’ve yet to lose a GGG despite a few years of regular use but I only wash them in the dishwasher, which I think is the key to longevity for these kinds of thin glasses. The GGG remains my favorite stem though I have a range of Grassls with which I’m still experimenting. At the last Southern Jeeb, I compared the aromatics from a couple of wines between my GGGs and Susannah’s Jancis glasses and had a slight preference for the GGG, but for many reasons couldn’t reach any definite conclusions. I’ve done a similar side-by-side sniff comparison between the GGG and the Conterno Sensory glass and similarly preferred the GGG. I also prefer the shape of the GGG to both of the others but I understand why others may prefer the more classic tulip shape of the Jancis glass or the balloony Sensory. It’s certainly a golden age for fans of light, thin, hand-blown stemware.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
As a human prone to be influenced by other humans, I have been looking to get a few new glasses and this thread couldn't stop raving about the Jancis Robinson stems, so I bought a couple.

Put one to use immediately this evening with champagne and it is a lovely glass indeed. Very pleasant experience all the way through.

My only concern is that the glass is so thin and delicate, I can't imagine it will be as long lived as some of my others!
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Can't be thinner than Zalto, can it?
 
Zalto isn't my other option!

I've been stocked with an assortment of Riedel Vinum stems for the past ten years. They've served me well and are nicely durable. But so far I prefer the JR.

We rarely use our dishwasher but perhaps will change that.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Zalto isn't my other option!

I've been stocked with an assortment of Riedel Vinum stems for the past ten years. They've served me well and are nicely durable. But so far I prefer the JR.

We rarely use our dishwasher but perhaps will change that.
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Use the dishwasher for the JR glasses and the Vinums. Never broken one that way. But to answer Keith's question, the Zaltos are thinner.
 
The thinness of the Zaltos is deceptive relative to their strength. You can squeeze the rim and somehow it will actually bend a bit before it breaks, increasing your margin of error for mishandling. Not sure if any of the other super-thin (or thicker) competitors have this feature, but my Zalto breakage rate is pretty low, better than Schott and much better than Gabriel Glas Gold.
 
A friend alerted me to a Spiegelau copy of the Zalto Burgundy glass that is machine-made and costs a third.

Ordered a pair and the material is slightly thicker, making the glass slightly heavier, but the shape is truly identical. Seems like a pretty good job for the risk-averse or the pound-wise.
 
all Riedel burgundy glasses are collecting dust in favor of Ravenscroft Amplifier Barolo glass. Love it. Started using it for many Loire reds as well.

on the other hand, Riedel Bordeaux glasses and aforementioned riesling/chianti glass remain irreplaceable.
 
FWIW, I have never seen a Zalto.
My stem ware is affordable for several reasons: breakage, expendable income, ignorance.
While you may have notable experience with glasses I’ve not heard of, I keep the home fires burning with what I know and can afford.
If your investment gives you a better experience, good on ya.
But I’ll muddle through . . .
Best, jim
 
I'll admit, it's always kind of exciting when the hot new glass design comes out. I never liked the angles of the Zaltos but the thin glass did eventually win me over - not to the ugly Burgundy glass, but the Universal and Bordeaux glass were undeniably cool. I did always feel a little dirty using the glassware endorsed by the Sine Qua Non guy, though, so when the Gabriel Glas came along, which was basically the Zalto Universal with a bit more flair and flare, I was a fan. But I was still partial to the round bowls. So the Glasvin, which was another Universal-type glass without the angular bowl, was a nice development. Still, its contours weren't the most elegant. My current crush is the Jancis glass. It is just about the perfect version of what the Glasvin, Gabriel Glas, and Zalto Universal aspire to be. Of course the wine is the same in all of them so it just turns on what looks cool to you and feels comfy in your hand. But right now that's the Jancis glass for me. The only thing that keeps it short of perfection is that I might like it just a smidge bigger. Not much, just a smidge. So there is still an opportunity for the next glass trend.
 
I get mine at Costco:
Costco_wine_glass.jpg
 
I switched to the JR glass earlier this spring and have really been liking it. The past month or so I've been using Zalto Universal for the first time. It's pretty good and feels sturdier than JR, while still retaining elegance. Like Keith, I probably give the slight edge to JR, while also perhaps wanting a slightly bigger bowl.

But at the end of the day, either of these glasses is perfectly fine for me. And there are plenty of other things to worry about, even in the wine domain!
 
Last night we débuted the Spiegelau copies and they were dandy. If I didn't have the Zaltos beside them to compare, I would hardly notice the difference.

It's true that the big bowls are a nuisance when you turn them upside down to hand-wash them (yes, I am one of the mass of great washed) because the shape makes them rotate awkwardly around their axes (bold as love) when your hands are on a slippery slope because of the slippery soap. But while they are on the table, filled with delectable fluid, they do heighten the experience with the sense of luxurious opulence that this shape induces (think Divine in John Waters's movies, which I have not watched).

Haven't tried the JR, but if it's more fragile than the Zaltos, I am unlikely to, traumatized as I am from the loss of many gossamer-thin Zaltos for this or that reason, including the much-maligned hand-washing, even done carefully.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
L
It's true that the big bowls are a nuisance when you turn them upside down to hand-wash them (yes, I am one of the mass of great washed) because the shape makes them rotate awkwardly around their axes (bold as love) when your hands are on a slippery slope because of the slippery soap.
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I don't bother with dish soap on my wine glasses. There's the chance of retained odor, and getting them clean at home is doable with warm water. Also makes it easier and less dangerous. I already have a scar on one finger from a glass broken while washing.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
L
It's true that the big bowls are a nuisance when you turn them upside down to hand-wash them (yes, I am one of the mass of great washed) because the shape makes them rotate awkwardly around their axes (bold as love) when your hands are on a slippery slope because of the slippery soap.
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I don't bother with dish soap on my wine glasses. There's the chance of retained odor, and getting them clean at home is doable with warm water. Also makes it easier and less dangerous. I already have a scar on one finger from a glass broken while washing.
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you can get dye and fragrance free dish soap, which is what i use. not sure how you'd get all the duck fat off the rim of the glass with just warm water.
 
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